


Deep blue

by Rimeko



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 104th kids, Canon Non-Binary Character, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Hange Zoë, Other, Teasing, accidental peeping toms, and enjoy life a bit, beach, but as background characters, they reached the sea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27013408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rimeko/pseuds/Rimeko
Summary: Based on the end of season 3 / chapter 90A different setting is sometime all you need for a relationship to take a different turn...
Relationships: Levi & Hange Zoë, Levi/Hange Zoë
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53





	1. Night

It was still dark when Levi woke up, the moon high in the starry sky. He sighed as he felt the familiar weight of Hange’s arm across his chest – the damn four-eyes was a _sprawler_ , and there wasn’t a single night spent with them that didn’t end up with their limbs somehow on top of him and their cold feet digging into his calves, his thighs or, worse, the small of his back, when they found themselves in weird enough positions. 

As always, he moved their arm away and they steered slightly, muttering something about “titans” and “steam” before drifting back into a deep slumber. 

“Tch, don’t you ever shut up?” 

A quiet snore was the only answer. 

He laid on his back for a while, listening to Hange’s breathing, echoed by the undertow of the waves outside their tent. He shifted slightly, grimacing as a stone dug into his ribs. Yet, despite the uneven ground and the foreign sounds all around, it was the best night sleep he had gotten in a while. 

Hange moved and the feeling of fucking cold toes on his skin made him groan. Wasn’t a living being’s skin supposed to be warm?! 

“Damn you, four-eyes.” 

He pushed his blanket away, feeling for his pants in the dark. He had to repress the urge to put on his ODM gear – he still had trouble adjusting to the fact that _outside_ was safe now. They all had, he realized as his gaze fell on the carabine next to Hange’s head, its steel shining feebly in the moonlight. 

The sight outside was breathtaking. The beach was pearly-white, the ocean an endless deep blue void that merged with the sky, both star-studded, and the seafoam looked almost fluorescent. Their three tents seemed so small in such a setting. He didn’t even see the camp of the other Scouts that came with them – probably hidden behind the hill. He didn’t care anyway. 

In the dark, the sound of the ocean was ever-present. Levi paused in his tracks, breathing deeply. He still didn’t quite know to feel about the strong scent of salt – not to mention the _questionable_ feeling of sand on his bare soles –, but he couldn’t deny the whole thing was incredibly peaceful. 

The water wasn’t as cold as he expected it to be, he discovered as a wave came over his feet. He was sure Hange would have something to say about that, would probably launch into an explanation about liquid inertia or something like that – but they weren’t here to disturb the quiet, simple experience of water gently lapping at his legs. Speaking of which…

“Shit.” 

His pants were completely soaked up to his knees. He frowned as the image of Hange’s green cloak, mottled with discolored stains where the saltwater had dried up, popped up in his mind. He retreated to the dry part of the beach, quickly stripping down of his clothes, save for his underwear, and left them safely in a neat, folded up pile on a rock. 

The current was stronger than he had imagined. The body of water, as a whole, wasn’t going anywhere, so which business did it had, pushing his feet back and forward every time he lifted them? The sensation wasn’t entirely unpleasant, though, once he learned how to keep his balance. Levi immersed his hands, watching his pale fingers moving through the water. 

A sound behind him made him tense up, but then the intruder uttered a curse as they tripped on something and he just rolled his eyes. He would recognize Hange’s voice anywhere, even when the sound of the waves filled his ears. He heard the splashing as they entered the ocean in turn, though he didn’t turn to face them. 

Therefore, he almost jumped when cold hands slithered between his torso and his arms, fingers brushing against his skin and intertwining in front of his midsection. Next thing he knew, Hange was pressing their chest against his back, their thin and already wet nightshirt the only thing separating their bare skin from his. 

He only regained the use of his tongue when their chin came to rest on top of his head: 

“Oi, do you have a death wish?” 

They giggled, the vibration reverting through his own body in a very troubling manner. 

“You know as well as me that this is an empty threat.” 

“Oh, you think, four-eyes?” 

He motioned to turn around but they tightened their grip on his body, bringing them even closer together. Of course, he could easily break free if he wanted to, yet… well, maybe for once, he didn’t see a single reason to. Instead, he relaxed in their arms and felt, more than he heard, them hum in satisfaction. 

“Morning, by the way,” he mumbled. “Sorry if I woke you up.”

One of his hands found naturally its way to theirs, and his thumb began to trace invisible circles on their tanned skin. And he had never been ashamed of his height, not at all – vertical maneuvering was easier with a lower center of gravity, and he didn’t need to be tall to command respect, he had made sure of that – but for once, he’s _glad_ about it, because of how his smaller frame fitted nicely in Hange’s. 

“Should I talk to you when you just woke up more often, or is it just today that you’re nicer?” 

“Tch.” 

“Maybe I should test it out,” they went on, “but that would mean trying to decipher your non-existent sleep patterns, and that’s a whole scientific challenge on itself, don’t you think?” 

He rolled his eyes again – not that they could see it. 

“I’m not one of your guinea pigs, shitty-glasses.” 

“Of course not. I don’t experiment on humans anyway.” 

Levi cocked an eyebrow at that but didn’t comment. 

“But I did read an interesting piece on sleep-deprivation, once. ‘Said it made people more susceptible to mood swings and all. I wondered if that would apply to you, with your insomnia, but for that, you would have to actually display emotions other than annoyance and- Ow!” 

They backed off – and for one split second, he missed their warmth – and rubbed the sore spot on their chest, where his elbow had just hit them, pouting. 

“I take back everything I just said about you being nice.” 

He didn’t answer, just looked at them. In the moonlight, dotted by tiny droplets of water, their skin seemed to glow. They hadn’t bothered to put on their glasses, nor their eyepatch for that matter – the silver scar was shining in the pale light –, and they were squinting slightly, in an adorable way. Their auburn hair, free from their usual ponytail, cascaded around their face and upon their shoulders, grazing their collarbones, visible just above the collar of their nightshirt. The wet fabric clung to their body, revealing the defined shape of muscles underneath. 

The water sloshed around his legs as he took a step forward, grabbed Hange by the shoulders, and crashed his lips against theirs. They squealed in surprise and stumbled slightly, only remaining upward thanks to Levi’s arm now around their waist. His other hand was on the back of their head, threaded in their hair, forcing them to bend slightly so he didn’t have to stand on his tiptoes to kiss them. 

“Is that enough of a display of emotion for you, four-eyes?” he asked slyly as they parted, slightly out of breath. 

“No.” 

Their hands found their way to his body once more, bringing him closer. They angled their head to press little kisses to the side of his neck, making him shiver, and he let out a quiet laugh. 

“Aw, that’s a sound I’d love to hear more”, they whispered in his ear, their breath hot against his skin. 

“You’re a greedy one, you know that?” 

“Hum. Sure.” 

As Hange’s hand creept its way down his back, coming suspiciously close to his ass, a muffled shout and the sound of something hitting the water immediately startled him out of the mood. 

“What was that?” 

“Hum?” 

Hange looked at him with visible confusion, and maybe a bit of disappointment. 

“There is someone here,” he said, pushing them away just a little. 

Somehow his fingers didn’t completely loosen their grasp on their nightshirt, and Hange’s squeezed his arm a little tighter – their mere bodies reluctant to drift apart. It wasn’t long before Levi spotted the two figures trying vainly to hide behind a rock that barely reached their thighs. His face fell into his usual scowl. 

“Fucking brats,” he muttered under his breath. 

“Oh! It’s Jean!” 

He had to fight the impulse to smack Hange as they gingerly waved at the boy, who was frozen in place, looking very unsure of what to do now that his superiors had caught on his presence. 

“Connie and Sasha too,” Levi laconically added. “Apparently, sleep is overrated.” 

“You’re not one to talk on this matter, dear,” they snorted. “Besides, I’m not surprised! How could you expect them to stay put in a tiny tent when there is a whole ocean out there? I mean-”

“Shut up.” 

They lightly tapped his shoulder, fake disapproval over their beautiful features. 

“Oh, is someone frustrated?” 

He only tch-ed at them, secretly glad that they could once again read behind his harsh words. He didn’t know how to express himself otherwise, had never learned how to, and if he usually didn’t care about what others might think, it was different with Hange. 

“And what, are you shy?” they whispered in a sing-song voice. 

He turned to them and flinched, not expecting them to be so close. Their hair tickled his neck. He motioned to look to the brats again, but fingers on his chin forced him, gently but firmly, to keep facing his lovely four-eyes. 

“Let’s give them something to talk about tomorrow~”

Warm lips were on his own once again, tasting faintly like salt and mostly like Hange. Their hand brushed against his cheek, sliding into his hair, while the other rested on the small of his back. When they pulled back, he chased them, sand slipping around his feet as he stood on tiptoe. Their noses collided and Hange’s laugh was muffled by another kiss. He closed his eyes as their tongue slipped into his mouth. 

The kids be damned, they could gossip all they wanted tomorrow, this moment belonged to Hange and him alone. Nothing else mattered. 


	2. Morning

It was the scent of brewing tea that slowly woke up Hange. 

This time, the sun was shining brightly in the morning sly, its beams filtering through the fabric of their tent and bathing the small space in a soft green hue. Outside could be heard tranquil conversations, alongside the clatter of breakfast plates and the oh-so-magical sound of the sea. Hange stretched blissfully, enjoying the feeling of being fully rested after their two-parts sleep, and went on a quest to find their glasses. Their lips still tasted like salt and the memories of last night, gradually swimming to the top of the mind, brought a lazy grin to their face. 

“Ah, here there are!” 

Adjusting their glasses on the bridge of their nose, they blinked several times as the world came into sharp focus and hummed happily. Now, it was time to see what was smelling so good outside – anyway, they were currently alone in their tent, and if there was something that Hange certainly liked, it was having someone to pester. Especially a certain grumpy Captain. 

“Hello everyone!” 

Armin jumped at their enthusiastic and loud greeting, spilling a little bit of tea on his lap. 

“Ah, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you! Plus, it would be a shame to waste this tea, it smells so good! Is there any left?” 

“There is more in the kettle, Commander…”

They grabbed a cup and filled it under the somewhat wary looks of Armin and Connie – Sacha, on her part, was way more invested in the breakfast preparation, to the point where she was apparently oblivious to her Commander’s appearance. Well, since they had managed to catch some fishes the day before, Hange could understand her fascination. They were very eager to see more of the outside fauna, be it by observation, dissection, or straight-up tasting – their grumbling stomach seemed to be in favor of that third option. 

“Hey, Sacha, quit it!” 

Connie rushed to straddle the taller girl as she tried to fit a large piece of bread into her mouth before he could snatch it away from her. 

“At least with yesterday catches we don’t need to ration food as much…” Armin pointed out, shaking his head. 

The two cadets were now wrestling on the floor, half-playful – Connie – and half-serious – Sacha. She was practically snarling at the boy. 

“She sure is an energetic young woman,” Hange said, a mix of amusement and admiration in their voice. 

“You’re one to talk, four-eyes. I could hear you shrieking from across the camp.” 

Hange’s grin widened, threatening to split their face in half as the low, monotonous voice sent a shiver down their spine. 

“Levi! I was wondering where the rest of you had wandered,” they added, eyeing the three cadets behind their captain, holding various dripping items of clothing. “Laundry, really? Before breakfast?” 

“Ah, exactly what I said!” Sacha chimed in, having finally broken free from her friend’s grasp. 

“Breakfast wasn’t ready yet,” Levi said curtly. “And you’re the walking example as to why it was mandatory.” 

As they eyed their nightshirt, the grey fabric stained with palish halos from the sea salt, Levi brushed past them, aiming to hang up the clothes on a nearby tree – the only issue with that plan being that Hange wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. They grabbed his arm, pulling him closer before he got the time to react. 

“I’m not the one who had the brilliant idea to have a midnight bath,” they teased, not bothering in the slightest to lower their voice. 

His pale skin flushed a nice shade of pink, making Hange’s eyes widen in delight behind their glasses. Levi tch-ed, twisting his arm out of their grasp, and motioned to resume putting the freshly-washed clothes away. However, something must have crossed his mind, as he stopped and, turning halfway, dropped the bomb: 

“At least I’m not the one who got excited knowing they were watched.” 

Hange spat out their tea. 

As they choked and coughed, they caught sight of Levi’s smirk. Noticing their stare, he bit down slightly on his lower lip, and the thought that crossed Hange’s mind right at that moment only made their already tomato-red cheeks burn hotter. The snickers behind their back certainly played a part too. 

“Are you okay, Commander?” 

Armin. The solicitude in his tone would have made them smile fondly if they weren’t currently trying to catch her breath while doing their best to ignore the warm tingling somewhere in their lower stomach. 

“I’m- ok- okay… Ah, damn it!” 

They coughed one last time and wiped their chin. Their now fogged up glasses made the world a little bit blurrier than it even had the right to be. As they dove into their mug, drinking what was left of their tea and trying to regain their composure in the process, their gaze wandered to where Levi had gone. He was currently straining to reach a higher branch, and the gesture made the muscles of his legs – and his ass – even more defined under his white uniform pants. Hange groaned slightly. This clearly didn’t help. All they could think about what how they would- 

A loud “what?!” jolted their mind out of the gutter. Their ears perked up.

“But… they and…”

“Are you sure?” 

“Come on, horse face, even you could come up with a better joke than that!” 

The words tumbled out and collided as Mikasa, Eren and Armin urged to express their disbelief. 

“Yes, we are certain!” claimed Sacha. 

“Fuck you, Eren.” 

“Absolutely! It really was the Captain… and Hange, of all people?” 

Connie’s last sentence came out as more a question than an affirmation. 

“Hey,” the interested party pipped in, “how am I supposed to take that?” 

The boy had the decency to look sheepish, as Jean winced and Armin looked like he wanted to disappear into a hole. 

“It’s just that… you know… you…”

“You two are just so different!” Sacha completed, flying to the rescue. 

Hange only laughed. 

“Relax, I’m not offended! I know how it looks from the outside.” 

“And from the inside?” Connie whispered to Sacha, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively – yet, he wasn’t discreet enough. 

“That’s none of your business, you nosy brats.” 

The girl shrieked and both scurried away from a less than amused Levi. He glared at them, narrow grey eyes as cold as ever and arms folded against his chest, and suddenly the cadets were a lot less inclined to discuss his personal life. Hange bit the inside of their cheek to keep from giggling. 

“So…” 

Sacha trailed off, looking like she knew very much that she’d better shut up but simply couldn’t. Apparently, Eren wasn’t the only suicidal blockhead of the group. 

“Are you two together?” 

There were a few seconds of silence, then a “yes” and a “no” commingled. Startled, Hange looked at Levi, who avoided their gaze. Red was slowly creeping up his neck. God, what they would give to see him embarrassed more often… It was worth the ride, for sure. But for now, there was a more pressing matter. 

Hange had been the one to say “no”. As a precaution. Because they never talked about their relationship, that fragile and beautiful think they had. It was easier. Less scary. Love was a luxury in the Scouts, because you never knew when it would get ripped away from you, when you would be left alone to mend the pieces of your broken heart. Because they were Hange Zoë and Levi, humanity’s smartest and strongest, because they didn’t have the time for romance. Because he was their first kiss and they weren’t quite ready to admit that either. 

“Are we? Together, I mean?” they asked, ignoring the looks of the cadets, ranging from slightly anxious and confused to bewildered. 

Levi shrugged then mumbled something, his hand coming up to rub his neck absentmindedly. 

“I didn’t quite catch that…” they mused. 

He shot them a death glare – the effect somewhat compromised by the blush that had now reached his face. 

“Are you as deaf as you’re blind, shitty-glasses? I said, I love you.” 

Hange beamed and, before their brain could form a decent enough thought, their body acted on its own. The pair stumbled as they threw their arms around Levi and he struggled to keep their lanky ass upward. 

“I’m very tempted to let you fall now,” he hissed between clenched teeth. 

“You wouldn’t.” 

He would. 

Hange’s bottom collided abruptly with the dusty ground and they stayed there, eyes wide, baffled. Their hand rose slowly, readjusting their glasses on their nose out of habit, then they burst into laughter. Levi stared them down, looking fully like he was rethinking all of his life choices until now. 

“Come on,” they managed to get out between their giggles, “help me up, you jerk.” 

He offered a reluctant hand and pulled them to their feet in one swift motion. What he hadn’t expected, though, was that Hange used their momentum to press their lips against his. He tried vaguely to resist, before accepting his fate and returning the kiss. 

The cadets laughed and cheered loudly. 

“I love you too, Levi.” 

They heard him let out a shaky breath. 

“I’m glad, four-eyes,” he murmured. “Because you’re the best thing that happened to me in a long time.” 

“Aw, I-” 

“Shh.” 

And because Levi knew there was only one way to keep them quiet for good, he kissed them again. 

**Author's Note:**

> There, I hope you like it!  
> Tell me what you think, point out my mistakes (sorry, English isn't my main language!), scream your love for this fandom, anything you like, just know that I like reviews a lot :P  
> Also, tell me if you would like a part 3 / another levihan fanfic?


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